Liquid fuel gas dynamic mixing laser

Claim 1

The method according to claim 1 further comprising, between the step of admixing carbon dioxide and the step of passing the gas admixture through an optical chamber, the additional step of: expanding the gas admixture in a nozzle sufficiently to ensure a static temperature of the gases exiting the nozzle of approximately 550* R.

Claim 5

The method of providing laser energy in a gas dynamic mixing laser utilizing nitrogen as an excitation gas and carbon dioxide as a lasing gas comprising the steps of: decomposing a liquid hydronitrogen fuel by an exothermic reaction in a catalytic chemical reaction chamber to form a gas mixture which includes nitrogen gas molecules at thermal equilibrium and an additional gas; reacting the gas mixture with a reagent to increase the temperature of the gases entering the nozzle and to reduce the amount of said additional gas present; rapidly expanding the gas mixture in an aerodynamic nozzle from a static temperature not less than about 1,200* R to a static temperature of approximately 550* R to establish a nonequilibrium condition in the vibrational energy levels of the nitrogen gas; admixing carbon dioxide which is at a temperature no greater than about 550* R to the expanded gas mixture in the nozzle to form a gas admixture in which energy contained in the vibrational energy levels of the nitrogen is transferred by collision processes to the carbon dioxide, thereby establishing a population inversion in the vibrational energy levels of the carbon dioxide molecules; expanding the gas admixture in a nozzle sufficiently to ensure a static temperature of the gas exiting the nozzle of approximately 550* R; passing the gas admixture through an optical chamber stimulating emission of radiation from said molecules while in said chamber; exhausting the gas admixture from the optical chamber.